Category Archives: Media appearances

My advice was featured today in EverythingZoomer.com’s Boomerangst column, which dealt with a family whose adult son is contemplating a move home after several months of unemployment:

“It’s tempting to think that everything’s going to go really smoothly, but that rarely happens by itself,” says Christina Newberry, founder of the website adultchildrenlivingathome.com and the author of The Hands-on Guide to Surviving Adult Children Living at Home.

You can read the rest of the article, including my advice about two documents every family should put together before adult kids move home, here.

Yesterday, I was a guest on CBC Radio’s national Cross Country Checkup program, which tackled the issue of whether it’s harder for young adults to find jobs than it was a decade ago – and what that means in terms of getting them launched into independence. It was an interesting program, and I found myself wishing I could jump in at many parts of the show, not just in the segment in which I was interviewed.

To the mom who said she was anticipating one of her three kids was likely to boomerang home because 26% of young adults do so, I wanted to say she might want to prepare for two of them: In Canada, the actual number of young people aged 20-29 living at home according to the most recent census is 42.3%. (It varies across the country, of course. In Toronto, which has the most adult children living at home, the number is actually 56.3%)

I wanted to talk to some of the young people who called in saying that it was just too hard to find work that was fulfilling, and that they were giving up high-paying jobs (and expecting financial help from their parents) to pursue opportunities that better aligned with their dreams. I wanted to tell them that pursing your dreams is certainly a worthwhile endeavor, but that in your thirties it’s not your parents job to pay for it (it can be financially challenging for them, too), and sometimes your job will simply not be the source of your life’s fulfilment. Certainly the jobs you have to take on to build experience in the early stages of your career are likely to be less than you’d dreamed. But you need to build experience and gain skills that provide value to an employer before you have the bargaining power to craft your dream career.

All of that to say that if you missed the show, you can listen to it here. My segment begins at about 1:16:00.

This afternoon’s Cross Country Checkup call-in show tackles the issue of adult children living at home — and whether it’s harder for young people today to find a job. The show airs 4-6 p.m. Eastern time (1-3 Pacific). I’ll be on in the second hour of the program. You can find more information about the show and get the phone number to call in here.

“People make a lot of assumptions about how it’s going to work, and expectations can lead to a lot of challenges, especially if the children have a different perception of what staying at home is going to be like,” said Christina Newberry, Vancouver, Canada, author of “The Hands-On Guide to Surviving Adult Children Living at Home.”

“Parents may be focused on trying to get the children out of the house and the children may not be aware of that. Once you’re an adult, the goal is to get out of your parents’ home. So the conversation is why you’re at home and the steps needed to achieve independence. You should also discuss expectations in terms of how to behave when at home.”

Yesterday, I got to chat with Claufia Lonow, creator of “How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life),” a new ABC series starring Sarah Chalke, Elizabeth Perkins, and Brad Garrett. We were on HuffPost Live together, and it was great to have a chance to hear about her really positive experience living with her parents. (The short version: She has lived with them for about 18 years and has no plans to move out — but several years ago they all bought a house together, so she’s certainly paying her own way.)

Last week, I was a guest on CTV News Network’s Pattie Lovett-Reid Show (a nation-wide Canadian broadcast). Pattie and I talked about how parents can help adult kids achieve financial independence and avoid become the dreaded Bank of Mom and Dad… forever! Here are a couple of shots of my appearance on the show.

There’s been a flurry of media attention today for my book, The Hands-On Guide to Surviving Adult Children Living at Home (by Christina Newberry), so I thought I would add a quick post with some details about the book. It’s packed with great information for families with adult children living at home or planning to move home. It’s available in an eBook format that you can read on your computer, iPad, or other device at www.adultchildrenlivingathome.com. If you prefer a hard copy book that you can put on your bookshelf, you can buy a copy though book supplier createspace here. The book includes a couple of key documents all families need when adult children move home: a family budget template and calculator, and a family contract template. Here’s all the key info:

The Hands-On Guide to Surviving Adult Children Living at Home by Christina Newberry
Second Edition published June 2012 by Nuru Guides
Available at www.adultchildrenlivingathome.com

Thanks for your interest!

Christina Newberry
Author, The Hands-On Guide to Surviving Adult Children Living at Home

AdultChildrenLivingatHome.com has been featured in a number of news stories lately — further evidence that multi-generational living is a growing trend. You can find information about all of my work with the media on the Media page, but here are my three favorite recent articles:

I spent a day talking with filmmakers Sharon Bartlett and Maria LeRose of DreamFilm Productions about this increasing trend, and you can see parts of our discussion in the documentary. Here are some images from my day filming with the DreamFilm crew:

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"This book was a life saver when one of my children moved back in, after being gone for 13 yrs. It gave me great and workable ideas, which I implimented and they worked. Once in place my angry was diffused and we had a great working relationship. This child stayed with us for 1 year and 10 months and just recently move out. All on good terms. :) Highly recomment!!!!!!!!! "

~ Tina R. Dundore

"She offered clear and honest ideas for both parties to work on to make the stay as successful as possible. Christina Newberry hit on many important key points of having adult children living at home, such as the financial impact it has on parents nearing or at retirement, parents offering a comfortable environment with amenities so young adults are reluctant to leave, etc. It was very unbiased, so if parents are divided on how they feel, it has quite a fair outlook on the situation."

~ Skinny Mo

"Bought your book online yesterday. Finished it today. Have reason for renewed hope on several fronts. Thank you. I think your message and your book are on the spot."

~L.G.

"I found all of the information very helpful and may have just saved my relationship with my husband. I have set up a list of house rules that we all discussed and amended as we each saw fit and a weekly chore sheet.

I have to say it is incredibly harmonious in our household since introducing the changes - long may it continue... Thank you once again."

~ Alison

"Thanks for your sage advice on the show... You were terrific."

~ Pattie Lovett-Reid, Host of the Pattie Lovett-Reid Show

"Very well thought out material that made it easy to create a starting point for conversation and problem solving."

~ Lori V.

"I can't tell you how much we are appreciating your well though- out easy to use guidelines and contract agreement.

"Keep up your great work. You are a godsend."

~ Theresa Beauchamp

"I'm a psychologist
specializing in work with young adults and their families.
I will definitely be referring people to your site, and
will encourage them to get the book."

"I found your information invaluable helping to put some boundaries and rules in place for when my adult child and his family move in.

Some times when it is family it is very hard to step back and take an objective perspective of a family crisis like your child having problems and needing your help with out it making your relationship worse.

After reading both your report and the book I feel equiped to make things alittle easier for both of us."

- Carol

"Just read a bit about your book--very timely and supportive to lots of moms enduring this transition. I'm Referring it!"